Corrie ten Boom

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Has anyone read this woman’s book “The Hiding Place”? I like the book, and I like her. I realize she is not a Catholic. Has anyone found any heresies in the book that Catholics should be aware of?
 
I read it a long time ago. I’m not sure about heresies-mostly what I remember is that it is an account of her concentration camp experience. I don’t recall much theology in there.
 
caajpa said:
Has anyone read this woman’s book “The Hiding Place”? I like the book, and I like her. I realize she is not a Catholic. Has anyone found any heresies in the book that Catholics should be aware of?
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Yes, and it is a great story of bravery in the Netherlands with Corrie and her family hiding Jews in the home at the time. They converted a close in one of the upper rooms and hid Jews there. They were eventually were betrayed and arrested but the Jews that were in the closet during the arrest were saved. Her father and sister died in the concentration camp. The book is good on many counts because it was faith in action and they risk their lives for doing the right things and anyone Catholic or not can learn from their example. Plus there was a lot in the book about Corrie’s acceptance of God’s will for her life in being a single women and working in the father’s watch shop. Later, she learned to forgive one of the guards from the camp when he came to see her after one of her talks. The book doesn’t go into anything that would be direct heresy at all but that’s just my humble opinion, but is a great example of Christian bravery and anyone can benefit from that.
 
Was that the one about the woman who told the truth about hiding them and God protected them?
 
robwar said:
Yes, and it is a great story of bravery in the Netherlands with Corrie and her family hiding Jews in the home at the time. They converted a close in one of the upper rooms and hid Jews there. They were eventually were betrayed and arrested but the Jews that were in the closet during the arrest were saved. Her father and sister died in the concentration camp. The book is good on many counts because it was faith in action and they risk their lives for doing the right things and anyone Catholic or not can learn from their example. Plus there was a lot in the book about Corrie’s acceptance of God’s will for her life in being a single women and working in the father’s watch shop. Later, she learned to forgive one of the guards from the camp when he came to see her after one of her talks. The book doesn’t go into anything that would be direct heresy at all but that’s just my humble opinion, but is a great example of Christian bravery and anyone can benefit from that.
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👍
She was a big influence and inspiration to me as a young girl, and she still is.
 
A copy of her book was sent to me in early 1974, very popular at that time among American Christians when Charismatic Movement was peaking.
 
caajpa said:
Has anyone read this woman’s book “The Hiding Place”? I like the book, and I like her. I realize she is not a Catholic. Has anyone found any heresies in the book that Catholics should be aware of?
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i find it disturbing that your question about this Godly woman concentrates on, of all things, heresy.
Why ?
 
KathleenGee said:
A copy of her book was sent to me in early 1974, very popular at that time among American Christians when Charismatic Movement was peaking.
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I saw her around that time at a church in Brooklyn. I remember she was on the 700 Club, you can probably find a clip online. The movie was great but hearing her really touched me about forgiveness.
 
I have read The Hiding Place and watched the movie many dozens of times in my life.

There is nothing in The Hiding Place that should upset Catholics. Rather, there is much for Catholics to rejoice over.

In Chapter 13, Corrie describes her evenings at Ravensbruck concentration camp. “They were services like no others, these times in Barracks 28. A single meeting might include a recital of the Magnificat in Latin by a group of Roman Catholics, a whispered hymn by some Lutherans, and a sotto-voce chant by Eastern Orthodox women. With each moment, the crowd around us would swell, packing the nearby platforms, hanging over the edges, until the high structures groaned and swayed.”

Corrie also describes how, whenever she and Betsie reported to Sick Call (Betsie, the older sister, was coughing up blood at this point in her concentration camp stay), “we left the Bible with Mrs. Wielmaker, a saintly Roman Catholic woman from The Hague who could render the Dutch words in German, French, Latin, and Greek.”

Back when this book came out (1971), for many Evangelical Protestants, it was the first time that we had seen Catholics and Catholicism referred to in a positive way by fellow Christians. Believe it or not, there were Protestants who rejected Corrie ten Boom and her book because it was “too friendly to Catholicism!”

I wholeheartedly recommend The Hiding Place, book and movie, for Catholics, Protestants, and the Orthodox.
 
I have read the book and seen the movie. Actually, I was able to see the movie when it first came out. Now I have a copy of both the movie and the book. I see nothing wrong in either one. If anything, it shows how Christ can lead us to show great courage in times of danger.
 
I read the book as a teenager some 40 something years ago…I’ve also read “A Prisoner and Yet…” by her as well…the movie was wonderful…all differences between relgious differences were put aside in the concentration camp…Protestants and Catholics prayed and worshipped together…when Bessie spoke to one of the prostitutes in the camp with her telling her what a beautiful day…the prostitute asked her why she was speaking to “trash”…Bessie smiled and responded…“We are all trash here.” One’s faith tradition didn’t seem to be of much concern to them as they faced brutality and death together.
 
HB11…yes, that is what it was about…I now remember…also how in prayer wasn’t it…she was in concentration camp and glass on the window shattered above her, but she wasn’t injured.

She and her sister prayed so deeply into the Word of God, using Scriptural passages.

Later she and her sister were condemned to die, and they found out they were saved by a typographical error. And she in time encountered a captor and with all her strength, based on the Lord, she reached out and forgave…

Forgiveness is the only divine act we as humans can practice…read that some where some time ago…
 
Kathleen, Betsy died before they were considered for release. Corrie found out that all women her age were slotted to die, and that a clerical error brought about her release. But by this time Betsy was dead. What she actually died from, I don’t know. I’m not sure the exact details of why she died were ever found out. She was weak and ill for some time before she died, and the staff of the concentration camp would hardly have spent resources on finding that information.
 
Thanks, Christie…After I shared that, I began to wonder about the sister’s fate.

Thanks for correcting.
 
One incident in the book the Lord used to save my life. I had just read the part where she was being beaten by one of the guards so severely, that she cried out, “Lord Jesus, save me!!” The guard stopped at that moment and told her never to say that name again. But he stopped the beating!

As I reflected on that, I pondered why she would call aloud to Jesus. Personally, I would have said the prayer interiorly and not orally. A few days later, my husband in a drunken rage was strangling my throat and banging my head against the wall. I managed to scream out loud, “Lord Jesus, save me!!” And wonder of wonders, he stopped! It was the beginning of our divorce, sad to say.

There was another part that I really liked where she questioned why they were suffering with the fleas, on top of every other kind of suffering. As she learned later, they were able to have bible study because the guards utterly abhorred the flea-ridden quarters and they would not go in them. Praise God! Bringing good out of evil.
 
I came to faith in Christ while reading “The Hiding Place”.
 
That is a good story for everyone. It really shows God’s workmanship within evil times/places. My biggest concern at the moment is that we, as Catholics, may be called to suffer like that. I can only pray for the faith to endure whatever God has for me in the manner of Corrie ten Boom. :highprayer::harp: And to sing his praises during suffering.
 
Thank you to all who answered. I appreciate all comments. To answer "Doxiemom"s comment: Heresy is something that occurs when something is being taught, as the truth, against Church teachings. “Church teachings” means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We, as Catholics know if a book is one free of heresies by seeing an imprimatur in the front. Most books don’t have these in front, so they need to be questioned. Since the book in question has no imprimatur, printed by a non-Catholic publisher, and is written by a protestant, it needs to be questioned. That is why I brought my question here.

Unfortunately, we have seen a lot of Catholic brothers and sisters turn away from the Faith or become “wishy-washy” due to what they read and hear in the main-stream media. I don’t want to fall into that trap, so I am very careful as to what I read and watch on television.

The question I ask does not seek to diminish the author’s authenticity or holiness.

God Bless and thank you!
 
To Sirach2: What a great testimony! God bless you on your faith journey.

Your comment brings to mind the importance of saying things “aloud”, such as in the sacrament of reconciliation. Saying our sins “aloud” to a priest is an important part of process.

I am glad you wrote to remind me of that!🙂
 
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